MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Minimum-wage workers across Saskatchewan now earn an additional 35 cents an hour after the provincial minimum wage increased to $15.70 on Thursday, Oct. 1.
The new rate replaces the $15.35 hourly minimum introduced last October. The provincial government announced the increase on June 29.
For a minimum-wage employee working 40 hours a week, weekly pay rises from $614 to $628 before taxes and other deductions — an additional $14 a week, or $28 over a two-week pay period.
If paid for those hours throughout the year, the employee would earn $32,656 before deductions, up from $31,928 — an additional $728 annually. Employees working fewer hours would see a smaller increase, earning an extra 35 cents for each paid hour.
Despite the increase, Saskatchewan continues to have the second-lowest general minimum wage among the provinces, ahead of Alberta’s $15 hourly rate. Manitoba’s minimum wage also increased Thursday, reaching $16.40 an hour.
Saskatchewan adjusts its minimum wage annually using a formula that gives equal weight to percentage changes in consumer prices and average hourly wages across the province.
The consumer price index tracks changes in the cost of a basket of goods and services, while average hourly wages measure employees’ hourly earnings.
The formula averages the two percentage changes. In a hypothetical example, a two per cent increase in consumer prices and a four per cent increase in average hourly wages would produce a three per cent minimum wage increase.
In the June announcement, Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said the government had tried to “balance the need for an increase to the minimum wage” with allowing employers to build their businesses and pursue growth.
Planned increases announced in 2022 raised the minimum wage from $11.81 to $15 an hour by 2024, an increase of approximately 27 per cent. Annual indexation resumed in 2025.
According to the province, the new rate is more than 90 per cent higher than the $8.25 hourly minimum in 2008. The exact increase is 90.3 per cent before accounting for inflation.
Provincial employment standards require most employees to receive at least minimum wage for each hour or part of an hour they are required or permitted to work. Paid time includes required work-related meetings and time spent preparing for a shift, cleaning up or closing the workplace.
The increase also raises reporting-for-duty pay. Under The Saskatchewan Employment Act and The Employment Standards Regulations, 2025, most employees required to report to their employer’s workplace must receive at least three hours of pay at their hourly rate, even if they work fewer hours or no work is available. This guarantees a minimum payment rather than a three-hour shift.
For example, a minimum-wage employee reporting for a two-hour shift must now receive at least $47.10 before deductions, rather than $31.40 for the hours worked. The same minimum applies if the employee arrives as scheduled and is sent home without working.
Elementary and high school students generally receive a minimum of one hour’s reporting-for-duty pay during the school term. The three-hour minimum applies during school breaks and to post-secondary students year-round. It does not apply to overtime, which is paid at the applicable overtime rate for the hours worked.
Workers or employers with questions can contact Saskatchewan Employment Standards at 1-800-667-1783.
